Prompt: Sake
by Ngoc Chau
Summary: She felt the hold of his hand become tighter around her fingers. She quickly looked up at her Captain, he looked back at her with his golden eyes. There was a small sort of sound from him, one that was a cross between a scoff and a laugh. Mayuri x Nemu


**Ngoc Chau does not own Bleach. **

**So, what do you guys think?**  
**Also, has Mayuri ever met the Visoreds when they were Visoreds?**

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**Prompt: Sake**

There was a joint party that evening between the Gotei 13. Some divisions sat close with each other, mingling and chatting happily; others chose to distance themselves. Nonetheless, they were all together at the very least.

The 12th division sat fairly isolated away from everyone else, most of them either sleeping or resting while watching the stars, Nemu Kurotsuchi was at her Captain's side. She looked over in the direction where the yelling and sounds of smashing glass was coming from; and Reader, though she is a woman of few expressions, I will say that she did in fact want to be over there in that direction with the members of the Shinigami women's organization who was sitting with the 11th division and the 8th division. Unfortunately, Mayuri had no fondness or tolerance for those of the 11th division and surely he would not want to sit near them.  
Though, Nemu could not help but wonder why she was sitting with her Captain when he had not ordered her to; in fact, what was stopping her from going over to sit with her friends if he even allowed her to leave his side daily when she went to the meetings? But her place was with her Captain, did that also count for parties? She sat deep in thought until she caught movement from the corner of her eye.

Turning in the direction of her Captain, she saw him take off the hat that was almost threatening to poke out her eye. The blue hair had grown and she wondered why she had not noticed its increase in length as it no longer resembled a mohawk but his bangs had grown out more. Perhaps it was because they had been so busy lately, almost the whole SDRI foregoing sleep to complete the Experiment, or perhaps because she had never really had the chance to just sit back and watch him as she had now. She thought him physically more appealing without the hat, the hair over his ears and brow.

His hand brushed his blue hair back out of his eyes, his face totally clear of hair again. "Damn," he said under his breath, "Another haircut soon."

Perhaps this spot had its perks: it was quiet, peaceful; the moon appeared to glow brighter where they were and they were closer to the door so they could always be the first ones in when it came time for sleep.

Mayuri turned and met her gaze, his eyes widened ever so slightly before they narrowed and he turned away with a sort of frown and a scoff. Nemu turned her head slowly away, smoothing out the bottom of her uniform.

"Nemu." she heard him say.

Looking at him with the sakazuki in his hand, she figured it out obviously without needing a command this time. She felt a slight sense of pride that she had been improving, hopefully Mayuri would notice it. She shifted closer to him, picking up the flask of sake set near them and poured him a glass: it was clear as water. He drank it and she returned the flask to its original spot, planning to return to her spot as well. But his voice stopped her, "Stay where you are, Nemu. When I want sake, I want it right away, I have no time to wait for you to move and pour it for me."

Reader, maybe we can take this time to think that Mayuri Kurotsuchi was developing a soft spot for his lieutenant, but then again, we can only imagine such situations here.

A few of the others began following their Captain's example and picked up the glasses available, holding it out to Nemu so that she could pour them a glass. There was a shortage of cups, but she did not mind not having a drink. She wasn't even sure if she could filter alcohol in her system anyway. Once everyone was settled with a glass in front of them or in their fingertips, they all returned to how they were. She sat with her hands upon her thighs, looking up to the moon.

She would only look every so often to see him take a sip of his sake. She was not sure if he was enjoying it like the others in the division for he had a very indifferent expression on his face and he did not smile or bare his teeth as he usually did. When he took another drink and set the flat cup down, she heard the distinct hollow sound of emptiness.

"Mayuri-sama, will you have some more sake?" she asked him, her voice timid and quiet, afraid to ever rise over his.

Their gazes met again once more; he looked away, picking up his empty sakazuki and holding it out to her. Not needing anything else to be said, she immediately poured the sake into the glass: it shimmered through the air. She set the flask down next to her knee, her hands were immediately placed on the top of her thighs and her view returned to the moon above. She breathed slowly, savouring the hours outside.

Suddenly, there was a heavy weight in her lap and something draped over her back. Yachiru laughed, "Nemu-chan! What're you doing here? Come over, we're having a contest on who could draw the funniest picture on Baldy's head!"

There was a growl from Mayuri, "Aren't you a little young to be staying up this late?"

Yachiru laughed and picked up Mayuri's hat, "Yay! Let's put Mayurin's hat on Baldy!"

Reader, imagine little Yachiru running off with Mayuri's hat. Funny, no?

"Hey! Get back here with that!"

Nemu stood and shunpo'd over to where an unconscious and drunken Ikkaku was napping, various drawings adorned his person: black whiskers spread out across his cheeks, clouds and rainbows were over his ears, someone had drawn a second pair of eyes over his lids, and there was even the low-brow humour of writing, "I'm gay! I like men!" on the side of his head.  
Yachiru placed the hat atop of Ikkaku's head and proceeded to draw on his face once more so that he resembled something like a Mayuri impersonator: she even remembered to draw in details around his ears and his chin and blocky teeth on his lips. There was a flash of a camera going off.

Nemu picked up the hat and headed back to her Captain, despite the groans of "Spoil sport" from the men of the 11th division and Yachiru's cries for having it just a second longer. She returned it to Mayuri who grabbed it from her hand and set it close behind him.

Rangiku was sitting in the spot they had left her, drinking sake. "Oh, you're back so soon, Nemu-chan?" She moved aside as Nemu sat next to her Captain.  
Rangiku poured some sake into her cup and offered it to Nemu. Nemu was about to accept when a loud voice startled her and she pulled her hands back to her sides.

"She's not having any!" he yelled at Rangiku.

"Oh, Kurotsuchi-taicho! Just let her have a little bit! What's a party without having some sake!" she said, trying to convince him. Nemu hoped it would work, she would like to have some and she was becoming quite thirsty.  
He repeated his words again, angrily saying that Nemu would not have any sake on any condition whatsoever. Nemu knew that what her Captain said, it was the law for her; so she handed the sakazuki back to Rangiku, bowing her head and apologizing, though also thanking her for the offer. Rangiku took a sip of her own sake before pouring it into Nemu's returned glass, leading it towards Nemu's hands. In her way of rejection, she held up a hand to try and push the glass away.

But something suddenly grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled it away from the cup.

Reader, perhaps he was a lightweight and was very drunk for once, perhaps he wasn't; but it was Mayuri Kurotsuchi who held Nemu's hand, a faint red tint glowed across his face through the white paint on his face. He hissed again to Rangiku that Nemu would not be having any sake and with that, he took another sip of his sake and sat both casually and angrily: one leg of his bent upwards while the other supported his body's weight, the arm with the sake cup held up by the one knee, and, most noticeable of all to Nemu, his hand was clasped around and atop hers.

Rangiku gave a small pout and went away back to her division, knowing that her evening would be spoiled if she hung around the mad scientist any longer.

As Nemu looked down, Reader, a blush grew on her face, she saw and felt the hold of his hand become tighter around her fingers. She quickly looked up at her Captain, he looked back at her with his golden eyes. There was a small sort of sound from him, one that was a cross between a scoff and a laugh. All throughout the evening until the night became too cold and the lights died, Mayuri had kept his hand on Nemu's and she could not find the courage to simply flip her hand up to meet his and hold his back. Such was her fear. But she still felt a strange sort of gladness in the heat of his hand shared with hers.

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**Honestly, I would say he was drunk during this. Do you guys have any suggestions or prompt ideas?**


End file.
